The Oilers will hit the road tonight for a back-to-back set in California before getting a few days off for the All-Star break this weekend. The Oil, who sit third in the Pacific Division, will have a chance to move their way up the standings with a pair of wins. More importantly, the Oilers can prove they belong with the Sharks and Ducks, who have routinely beat up on them over the years.
If things hold, the Oilers will open the spring against one of these two teams, which isn’t ideal based on past performances against them. Tonight in Anaheim and tomorrow in San Jose are huge opportunities for this club to send a statement that they belong.
The Oilers are 1-1 against the Ducks this season, but got crushed in their lone visit back in November. They did defeat Anaheim in overtime a few weeks later at Rogers Place, but they haven’t won a game at the Honda Center since November of 2015.
Meanwhile, the Oilers have been clobbered by the Sharks both times. Cam Talbot and Connor McDavid willed Edmonton to a point on December 23rd, but the Oilers were bulldozed a few weeks ago when the Sharks came to town. In both meetings so far, the Sharks have controlled the play and generally toyed with the Oilers.
If Edmonton wants to prove itself against the top teams in the NHL, these next 48 hours are important. The club must have two good performances and must get at least one win out of this two game stretch. Proving they can go toe-to-toe with teams like the Ducks and Sharks is the next step for this Edmonton club.
LB the Answer?:
Laurent Brossoit finally got his first NHL win on Saturday night in Calgary, and that has people wondering. Is LB the answer behind Cam Talbot for the rest of the season? Personally, I’m not sold on that being the case but I do want to find out.
Brossoit played well in the victory on Saturday night. The Oilers got him a big lead early and he made some nice saves to hold the fort and grab the victory for his team. I can’t blame him for any of the goals that beat him, two were tipped and one was a breakaway shorthanded, but I do have some concerns.
I thought Brossoit’s rebound control was an issue and I felt he was out of position a few times, getting bailed out by Flames attackers missing the mark. If LB is going to spell Talbot during the stretch, he needs to better handle rebounds in front and stay in his lane. Calgary didn’t make him pay, but another team absolutely will.
I like Laurent Brossoit and I think he’s done everything he can at the AHL level. He got the win Saturday and there were certainly good parts to his game in that victory. That said, he has things he needs to work on and he’s going to have to show consistency if he wants the job past the deadline.
I’d like to see Brossoit get around four more starts before we make a judgement on him. I think one of them may be tomorrow night in San Jose.
Martin Hanzal:
With Leon Draisaitl on the right wing, the Oilers have a hole at center right now. Currently. Drake Caggiula is the pivot on the third line, but there is a case to be made that he shouldn’t be in that spot moving forward. Caggiula is a talented young player, but he’s just a rookie and is clearly still adapting to the NHL game.
Most people would agree that the Oilers would be better off with a veteran center on the third line, and big Martin Hanzal seems to be the perfect fit. He’s a pending UFA, will almost certainly be moved by the deadline, and his style perfectly fits the Chiarelli/McLellan template.
That said, the asking price appears to be through the roof. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported in his “30 Thoughts” article on Tuesday that the ask for Hanzal to Montreal was top prospect Michael McCarron, a first round pick and another conditional draft choice.
From the Oilers, the ask would likely translate to Caggiula or Jujhar Khaira, Edmonton’s upcoming first round pick and a conditional pick, say a 2018 2nd round pick. Would you give that up for a rental player? Unless I had a chance to talk extension with Hanzal, I wouldn’t do that if I were the Oilers.
I think Edmonton may be better off looking elsewhere for center help, say a team like Detroit who could move a player like Darren Helm or New Jersey who could move Vern Fiddler or Jacob Josefson.
Personally, I think adding a veteran center is going to be at the top of Peter Chiarelli’s to-do list come deadline time.
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